Happy Veterans Day

On November 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson issued a message to his countrymen on the first Armistice Day

A Congressional Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U.S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made November 11 in each year a legal holiday

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In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks from Birmingham, Alabama, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans

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Elizabeth Dole, who prepared the briefing for President Reagan, determined Weeks as the "Father of Veterans Day

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Congress amended the bill on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since.

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The National Veterans Award was also created in 1954. Congressman Rees of Kansas received the first National Veterans Award in Birmingham, Alabama

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Legally, two minutes of silence is recommended to be observed at 2:11pm Eastern Standard Time

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All federal workers are paid for the holiday; those who are required to work on the holiday sometimes receive holiday pay for that day in addition to their wages

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